The four bus loads of veterans — visiting from Mississippi as part of a once-in-a-lifetime Honor Flight tour — ignored National Park Police instructions not to enter the site as lawmakers and tourists cheered them on.

According to the report, US Park Police stood by at the memorial, informing others that the site was closed, but not actively stopping the veterans who bypassed the barriers — with the help of congressional lawmakers who helped “topple” metal fencing while Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) distracted the cops. (Insert ironic statement about GOP leadership shutting down the memorial in the first place here)